549 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
PERFECTING DETAILS OF CREMATORY SERVICE 
Cremation has now become an es- 
tablished fact in the United States. 
Since the first incineration took place 
in Pennsylvania in 1876, the practice 
has been steadily increasing, until 
now crematories may be found in all 
parts of the country and the demand 
,for their use is wide among all 
classes of people. 
The perfection of detail in han- 
dling the operation itself has been 
largelj^ responsible for this result 
and nowhere has more careful atten- 
hot water heat and retiring rooms, 
and a glance at the photograph will 
indicate the superb character of it^ 
finish. The colors and hangings are 
rich and restful and it is designed in 
every way to extend a gentle influ- 
ence to those who make use of it. 
The room is of ample size and seat- 
ing capacity and a system of exhaust 
ventilation keeps the air at all times 
pure and wholesome. 
In the corridor of the Oak Woods 
Receiving Vault the visitor will note 
parties using the Crematorium. It is 
spacious and high-ceiled and like all 
parts of the building, perfect in ven- 
tilation. Daylight is admitted 
through win.dows of beautiful art- 
glass, rendering a subdued atmos- 
phere of peace and quiet that is not 
lost on short Winter days when thq 
pleasant glow of the electric lamp is 
substituted. Ample seating is pro- 
vided for all ordinary demands and 
because of the more intimate charac- 
ter of its comforts, this room is fre- 
INTERIOR OF CHAPEL, OAK WOODS CEMETERY, CHICAGO. 
tion been given to every detail of 
service than in the new crematory 
of Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago. 
We have previously given in these 
pages a description of the crematory 
furnace, and the methods of opera- 
tion, and have illustrated the retorts, 
which 'are operated exclusively by 
natural gas. The illustrations here 
give some further idea of the ar- 
rangement and furnishings of the 
chapel and the other rooms that per- 
tain to the crematory. 
The chapel at Oak Woo.ds is an 
important feature of the cemetery. 
Its use is of course not confined to 
cremation funerals, but it is’ in de- 
mand at all seasons by those who 
have learned and appreciate its ad- 
vantages and convenience. It is thor 7 
oughly appointed, with electric lights, 
the unusual treatment of this part 
of the building, departing as it does 
from the old accepted coldness of 
stone and marble of vault interiors. 
The effort has been made to give 
warmth and cheer by the use of beau- 
tiful, rich draperies, so that the cas- 
ket reposing here seems within the 
ken of human influence, not neglected 
in cold and damp surroundings. The 
rooms are all pleasantly lighted by 
electricity. The air is changed 
throughout the vaults regularly, by 
a motor-driven exhaust fan, insuring 
comfort and safety to visitors. A 
vacuum cleaning system is used 
throughout all parts of the building, 
so that even the remotest corners of 
the vaults are scrupulously clean. 
A handsomely furnished reception 
room is at the disposal of funeral 
quently preferred to the larger and 
more formal Chapel for private and 
family services. 
In the preparing room is where the 
friends gather to witness the deposit 
of the casket in the retort. It is 
here that the observer forms his im- 
pressions of the Crematorium and in- 
cidentally of the process of crema- 
tion. The room is airy, light and fin- 
ished in gratefully cool colors, and it 
is doubtful if more comforting sur- 
roundings could be conceived of 
wherein to surrender the mortal re- 
mains of a friend. There is no sug- 
gestion of noise or machinery of any 
kind. The two small doors at either 
side of the central door in the illus- 
tration admit the casket to the retort. 
The burners are not ignited till after 
the casket is in, and the .doors closed. 
